


I'm Looking Through You

by KittiDot



Category: Love Island (Video Game)
Genre: Angst, Conspiracy, F/M, Fluff, Retelling, slime challenge
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-09-22
Updated: 2019-09-22
Packaged: 2020-10-26 03:01:20
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,709
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20735165
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/KittiDot/pseuds/KittiDot
Summary: Noah is trapped in a hell he signed up to.His motives for going into the island as a plant were pure. But he hadn't expected to meether. Hadn't expected to fall head over heels.He needs to work through his time in the villa, to decide on what his next step should be.Written around the theory of NoodlePie, with ideas from the other lawless contributors. Love you all.





	I'm Looking Through You

**Author's Note:**

  * For [NoodlePie](https://archiveofourown.org/users/NoodlePie/gifts).

**Day 26**

Noah walked over to the beach hut. The door was open even though he wasn’t expected. They’d told him on day one that this was where he should go if he wanted to talk to them about anything. The ‘anything’ had been said in a pointed way, eyebrows raised, a weight of deception behind the word and the gesture. 

He paced the room and waited for one of the show’s producers to appear on the small screen by the camera. As he paced he wondered what he was going to say when they did appear. That they could stick their money? That he didn’t want any part of this charade any more? That he just wanted...her. 

The frustration swirled around his head as he paced. He’d fucked this up. It was beyond repair. He remembered the videos of rats running in mazes he’d watched in his psychology class at school. Carefully working their way through the tunnels, performing tricks, just to get the reward. But never free, always trapped.

He needed to find a way through the maze he’s got trapped in. To work out how to get the only prize he truly cared about and escape.

And then the screen lit up, and one of the female producers sat looking at him. Her long dark hair pulled back into a high ponytail, a pinched smile on her face.

“Hello Noah, and to what do we owe this visit? You haven’t been invited for a beach hut filming, soooo...?”

Noah didn’t sit in the chair that had been carefully placed in the centre of the hut. Instead, he leaned back on the wall opposite the screen, running his hand through his hair, his brow furrowed. 

“I want, um, I want to end this...thing”

“Thing, Noah? Being on the show? Your relationship with Hope? What exactly is it that you want to end?”

The answer screamed in his head, but remained trapped, bouncing around like an echo. He wanted to end being a fake person, in a fake relationship, with fake happiness and a fake future. 

He wanted the realness of the girl that made his heart pound, his stomach flip. Whose lightest touch sent fire through his body. Could make him hard with just a lingering look and a bite of her lip. 

He couldn’t stop thinking about her. He needed her. He loved her. 

“I want to, to end things with Hope. I want to be free to be with someone I have feelings for. Who doesn’t treat me with disdain when I try to be myself”.

“Oh but Noah” the miniature woman with the fixed smile smoothly answered “Think of the money. Think of the benefits it could have for your family. You only have a few more days and then it’s yours. Well, a few more days in the villa, and then six months in the public eye after the show ends. But don’t worry about that, you’ll be free to be with whoever you want to be with when you’re alone and no one is around. Free to be with...James I assume”.

James.

Her.

Noah slid down the wall until he sat on the ground, and his mind plummeted back to where it all began.

........................................

**Day 1**

The boys were getting prepared for the big moment. They’d all been nervously bantering with each other and Noah knew that he instinctively liked all of them. Which was going to make this harder. Deception didn’t come easily to him. The producers had told him so many times that it was all a game, and that everyone would be playing, but as he watched Bobby seemingly doing an impression of a chicken to make Ibrahim smile, he doubted that some of these guys were capable of playing. 

It’s not too late.

Except it was.

He’d promised his brother he’d help him with match funding the swimming scholarship so he could follow his dreams. He needed the payout for playing this role. The smitten boy, the strong couple, endgame. But with some drama thrown in to keep the viewers hooked. 

He sighed. He hated drama.

“Cheer up mate, you look like you’re going to your own funeral, not about to be at the mercy of some proper worldies”.

Noah smiled at Gary.

“You’re right. Maybe I’m worried they’re going to eat me alive”.

Rahim laughed. “Imagine...it actually turns out we’re in a zombie film. They devour us in seconds”

Bobby raised an eyebrow and blushed slightly. “We should be so lucky”

The boys all roared with laughter until they were silenced by the producer. 

“Ok boys it’s time. Walk out and line up on the small red crosses. Then the first girl will come out to pick. Just follow the instructions you’re given and you’ll be fine”. She looked pointedly at Noah, but before he could react a crew member was lining them up and ushering them out of the door.

The next few minutes were a blur, his heart pounding, the boys still nervously chatting to each other. But then the first girl walked out and everyone fell silent. Noah’s world just...stopped. He was looking at a girl so beautiful she took his breath away. She was smiling, looking straight at him. He caught her eyes for a second before looking away. He had a feeling he could get lost in those eyes for hours and he suddenly wanted nothing more. But she wasn’t the one he was supposed to be with in this charade. He’d met her already and knew she’d be out soon.

He realised everyone was now looking at him and knew he was supposed to have done something. Introduced himself, maybe? He darted his eye to the side and Gary looked at him, and raised his eyebrows, nodding in Noah’s direction. The meaning was clear ‘c’mon mate - your turn’

He looked back at the girl in front of him. He couldn’t help but smile slightly when he saw her. 

“Hi, I’m Noah”

He couldn’t get in trouble for that introduction, right? There was no flirtation, no come on, no attraction implied. He was going to play this safe. He could do this. The money was his.

And then she mouthed ‘hi’ with her perfectly formed lips.

And then he winked.

Fuck.

That wasn’t playing it cool. Winking was not playing it cool. She smiled at him, and he could see a glimmer of excitement in her eyes, as her eyebrow raised slightly in surprise at the wink. Noah darted his eyes from side to side to see if anyone else had noticed, but they hadn’t, they were far too focussed on how they were standing, what they were going to say, puffing out chests but trying hard to look like they didn’t care. But the producers would have noticed. He wasn’t sure they’d care at this stage. As long as he responded in the way they’d asked him to when he was in the couple.

Noah looked at the ground, aware that if he looked into those eyes any longer he was at a serious risk of falling at the first hurdle, giving up on this whole thing before it had even begun.

Her attention moved over to Rocco who was next to speak, and he was safe to look at her again. Well. Safe was a strong word for the stomach flipping emotions that ran through his body when he looked at her again. Her face was beautiful. It glowed with a happiness that made her cheeks blush ever so slightly. Her eyes were sparkling as she listened to the other boys names and introductions. She’d reached the end of the line, and Bobby made her laugh. It was a sound of pure enjoyment. Nothing forced, nothing for camera. Just...happiness. The noise rang in his ear and he knew instantly that there wasn’t much he wouldn’t do to hear that laugh again.

And then they were being asked to step forward if they were interested in her and he felt sick. He couldn’t step forward, he knew that. The story was that the other girl was the one for him from the start. Love at first sight.

Love at first sight. He’d just shrugged when they’d said to him that was the story he should follow. He wasn’t sure he believed in it and he’d certainly never felt it. 

That might have just changed.

He tensed his body, fighting against the urge to step forward. To show her how lovely he thought she was. To tell her how honoured he’d feel to be in her company, even for a day. But he knew it was a risk, he could ruin everything and she might not even pick him. Why would she pick him? The other boys had clearly caught her eye. 

And so he stood, fixed to the ground while every other boy stepped forward. Of course they did, he thought to himself, his eyes back to staring at a patch of grass about one metre in front of where she was standing. He didn’t want to see her reaction to the fact he hadn’t stepped forward. It would hurt in equal measures if she looked either disappointed, or like she didn’t care. Her voice didn’t convey emotions either way as she asked the other boys to explain why they’d stepped forward. He listened to their awkward responses, unable to understand why none of them had given the most obvious answer.

Because she was the most beautiful girl they’d ever seen.

There was a pause as she was asked to make her choice. He wasn’t breathing. He was aware of this, and that his lungs were starting to reach out for more air, but he couldn’t. He could do nothing other than stare at that patch of ground. Willing her to say his name. No, to say any other name. No.

His name.

“....Noah”

His eyes shot up and looked at her, his face a picture of excitement, his mouth lighting up with a smile, his heart full of happiness.

And then it was gone. They won’t let this last. 

He composed himself. She walked over and stood by him. He couldn’t be anything but warm towards her, he knew that. Might as well make the most of the next few minutes, before it was all over again.

“Thanks for choosing me” he said “I wasn’t sure you would”

She was beaming at him, and her eyes were even more beautiful close up. 

“Hi, by the way” he continued, unable to keep a grin from his face as he looked down into her own. 

“This isn’t how I usually meet people, but I’ve got to say, I’m loving it so far”. 

She laughed, and his heart swelled with happiness. She was making that noise because of something he’d said. It was magical.

As the other couples started forming they talked together, weighing up how the coupling was going. For a moment he forgot about what was going to happen.

But then there she was, striding out, every inch as beautiful and confident as she was during the times they had met before the villa. The first time he saw her he had admired how gorgeous she looked. She was so poised. Strong. But he had felt absolutely nothing. There was a coldness to her that he couldn’t connect with, a business like approach to what they were doing that he just couldn’t understand. 

He’d explained to her why he was agreeing to the charade they were about to be a part of, explained to her about his family. But she had just shrugged. 

“Fine. I have a career plan that involves getting well known very quickly. This will work if we don’t mess it up”.

He’d tried to get to know her better, but there just didn’t seem to be anything to connect them. Apart from the fact that she worked for a toy company, and he collected toys. That was going to be a big romantic reveal in their story apparently. 

“So how did they find you, to get you involved in this?” Hope had asked him. “I assume you didn’t put yourself forward? You don’t exactly scream TV fame to me”.

He sighed. “Oh. No. They found me. At work actually. One of the female producers had seen me online during the Reading Festival. There had been a mix up and I ended up getting a bit famous on instagram for about a week. It was long enough to make an impression, apparently”

He’d sighed, running his hand through his hair. 

“They’d told me they were looking for a strong silent type. Someone who would capture the heart of the nation. I’m not sure why they think that’s me. But here I am”.

Hope had looked at her nails and then back at him. “Well. Let’s talk through how we’re going to make this love story work”.

And there she was again. As she walked across the villa grounds, she looked directly at him. Her eyes darted to the girl stood next to him for a second, before moving straight back to him, a slight smile playing on her lips. She paused slightly, put a hand to her hips and opened her mouth to speak.

“Now I’m not saying this just to be mean, but I’m here to meet the right person”

Why did that have to be him? Why had he done this?

“...I may not be first to the party but that doesn’t mean I’m going to be stuck with the leftovers.”

His heart dropped as she walked straight over to where he was standing.

“What’s your name, babes?”

Like she didn’t already fucking know.

“It’s Noah” he responded, his voice sounding calm in spite of the rage in his head right now. Rage at his own stupid decisions.

“Noah, you are just the hottest thing I’ve ever laid eyes on…”

Lies.

“...I’m like, melting under your gaze”.

Noah could feel James step closer to him, and he wanted to reach an arm out to reassure her. But he knew there was no reassurance to give. 

“My mind is made up” Hope had continued. “The boy I want to couple up with is Noah”. 

As James was instructed to sit on the subs bench, Noah still couldn’t look at her. Hope came to stand by him, and he stood rigid and tense, until she wrapped her arms around him and squeezed him slightly, a signal designed to snap him back into the game.

“I think fairs fair” she’d called over to retreating figure of James. 

Noah had grimaced slightly, but put his arm around her. 

The game had officially started.

And it felt like hell.

........................................

Noah’s head was back in the beach hut. He wasn’t sure how long he’d been sat on the floor without speaking, but the producer was still on the screen, but looking down, presumably at some kind of tablet, and tapping her finger, rather than looking at him.

He shifted slightly and the noise caused her to look up.

“Noah. You’re back in the room I see. If you’re having some kind of mental breakdown, you do need to talk to me about it, you know. Are you?”

He sighed and his shoulders slumped.

“No, I’m honestly just done. No breakdown. I actually feel better than I have since the day you walked into the library where I work and put the offer on the table. I want to spend time with James. Noone else. It’s a cruel game we’ve been playing and it just to stop. I need to stop”.

“Noah you can still spend time with her you know. Think about the time you’ve had together”

She started laughing.

“Remember the slime challenge? That was so hot I think half the nation almost had a heart attack”.

Noah smiled, in spite of himself. He remembered the slime challenge.

............................................

**Day 4**

The islanders were all buzzing to find out they were getting some time out of the villa to play a challenge, and Noah had been so excited along with them. The villa had already become like a pressure cooker for him, and he saw the challenge as a chance to have some fun away from the arguments and tension that were there in his ‘relationship’ with Hope from day 1. 

Presenting as a couple who had fallen in love at first sight wasn’t easy. It wasn’t Hope’s fault. They just weren’t even slightly compatible. He’d offended her by saying she was a lady, annoyed her by having banter with her about her hair, and quite honestly infuriated her with his snoring. It was a disaster, and most of their conversations away from the other islanders had been arguments spoken in low voices. But the producers hadn’t stepped in, they were apparently happy with enough of what they were seeing that they hadn’t summoned them. 

The magic of the editing suite, he assumed.

So as he ran out to the challenge with the other boys, he felt free for the first time in days. They all gathered on the challenge stage, and quickly discovered what the challenge was. Bobby was hopping up and down with barely contained glee. Rahim’s reaction was one of pure dismay. Noah had looked at them both and chuckled. And then he caught her eye.

They’d barely spoken in the last few days. Hadn’t acknowledged what had happened at the first coupling, the only words spoken being inane chatter about music, or the time when he’d snapped at her for talking to him about the recoupling. He’d felt like shit about that. She was vulnerable in that moment, not sure if she was going to have to leave the villa, and he’d offered her no comfort. She’d looked hurt, and he’d hated himself. But when he couldn’t give the one piece of advice he really wanted to, which was to not worry because he’d be picking her, he had struggled to know what else to say. She’d been in two couples so far, neither of which seemed to be making her happy. He was worried that that glimmer of excitement was starting to fade in her eyes. But as he looked over to her now he saw it was back. 

His stomach clenched slightly, excitement buzzing through his body as he realised they might be able to use this challenge as a chance for some time together. If it was in the name of the game, who could complain.

He’d missed the instructions, and before he knew what was happening he was having slime dumped over his head by a bored looking Hope. 

“It’s slime time girls”!! Shouted Bobby as Priya poured the slime over him, giggling. 

Hope shimmied against him quickly, but he wasn’t paying attention and instead looked in shock as he realised that James was running over to him, with an expression that told him she knew they had no time to lose.  
“Hey there, cheeky” he’d said the second she was stood in front of him.

Still playing it cool Noah, well done, he congratulated himself with an internal sigh.

He was vaguely aware of Hope making a sound of annoyance but found when he scanned his emotions that he just didn’t care. He looked down at James, a slight smile on his lips, and was sure the heat between them must be visible. He wanted to reach down and take her chin between his fingers, to kiss her slowly. 

Instead he spoke, his voice catching slightly as he tried to hide just how much he wanted her in this moment.

“Are you ready for a sliming?”

Without a word, James had closed the gap between them, looked up at him, so close he could feel the heat of her breath on his bare skin. And then they touched for the first time. 

Fireworks. They may have been slime covered, but he was sure he was feeling the fireworks mentioned in every romance book right now.

James slowly rubbed her body against him, not breaking eye contact for a second. She was quickly covered in slime, and Noah knew she could probably have moved onto the next colour, but was excited when he realised she had no plans to run to another boy.

Because damn it felt good. The combination of the cool, smooth slime, the heat of the Spanish sun, and the fireworks that were still exploding in his head, and heart, caused his body to pulse from top to toe. Their bodies slid together and Noah thought about scooping her up into his arms and carrying her away somewhere so they could carry on with this activity in private. He thought about laying her down, kissing her neck, holding her. Maybe having a shower together washing the slime of each other with nothing but their bare hands.

Slam.

And then he was flat on his back on the stage, James looking down at him, her face a mix of concern and amusement.

“Talk about a hard landing” he’d said, smiling up at that beautiful face. 

He scrambled back up, and quickly realised that the fall hadn’t lessened the heat between them for a second. If anything, it had turned up the temperature higher. James looked into his eyes.

“I don’t have anywhere near enough slime. Time for a new position maybe?”

And with that she brought her arms up around his neck, and her leg up so that it was hooked around him. For a second every part of her was pressed against him, and he could feel the stirring in his swim shorts that meant he was about to get in serious trouble.  
As James moved her body up and down his, sliding against him with ease, Noah hadn’t been able to stop the slight moan that escaped his mouth.

“James, this is so hot…”

James pressed herself against his waist, and knew she could feel how hard he was getting for her. She looked at him with a raised eyebrow.

“Noah, I…”

But the sentence was never finished, as her leg started to wobble.

“You’re wobbling quite a bit!” Noah had exclaimed. But it was too late, and as James’ leg gave out from under her she crashed to the ground. He had reached down to help her back up, holding her around her waist for a second, until she was steady on her feet. In that second James had let out a huge contented sigh, as if she was trying to expel all the air from her body. He was sure they were going to kiss. 

But they couldn’t.

And so instead he started shimming up and down her body. Their bodies moved together so well. Both aware that no amount of movement was going to transfer any more slime onto her already coated body, but neither caring.

Noah threw his head back as James slowly worked her way back up his body, her chest and then stomach slowly sliding across his torso as she rolled her body up him. 

Some slime hit him in the eye, catapulted by the sudden movement of his head, and it stung like hell. He’d turned away, wiping the slime out of his eyes and not wanting to miss a second of the slime play with the girl he wasn’t allowed to go near ordinarily. He turned back and she edged back closer. Without thinking, Noah had rested his hands on her hips, which were swaying and snaking left to right.

He couldn’t remember a time when he’d wanted someone as badly. When he didn’t care who was around to see. 

He brought his mouth to her ear. “It’s going to be hard to beat this challenge” he murmured. 

But she’d winked and pushed him away. He was suddenly aware of Hope staring at them, her face a picture of fury, and knew that his own was flustered. His cheeks glowing, his eyes flashing with wanting. 

James had looked at Hope, and then back at Noah. She shrugged.

In response, Hope threw a giant piece of slime scraped off Bobby’s back at her, her rage at being overshadowed bubbling over. James didn’t respond and looked back at Noah.

“Once more slime boy”

He let out a low chuckle.

“I thought you were supposed to be mixing the colours….not that I’m complaining”. 

He looked at what was happening around him and saw the other girls were running back to the jugs and trying, and in some cases failing, to get the slime off their bodies.

James had bitten her lip at this point, and confidently walked behind him, pressing her body up against his back. He could feel her chest against him, rising and falling with her breaths, and the soft tickle as the air left her body. Noah had known instinctively what she was asking for and reached behind to hoist her up into a piggy back, his hands sliding over the slime, trying to get a strong enough grip on her hips and thighs. His efforts were unsuccessful and James ended up flat on her back on the platform again. Noah reached down to help her up, muttering 

“We really need to stop meeting like this James”

As he pulled her to her feet, his own had betrayed him, and he’d slid back onto his butt, James falling on top of him. She didn’t help the situation, instead pushing him down until he was flat on his back.

“Noah, I politely disagree” she had responded, straddling his waist with her legs, pressing into him, leaning over him and looking down at him. Without thinking about what he was doing his hands had gone back to her waist, his hips pressing up against her slightly. 

“This is the kind of thing I thought we’d be doing in the hideaway” he’d almost whispered as he looked up at her, wondering if she wanted him. If she was feeling the fire. 

And then she’d climbed off him, smiling down at him, and then walked away. As he watched her go, her body no less gorgeous for the slime that covered it, his sense that he was in trouble had grown. He couldn’t imagine a world where he didn’t get to kiss her and tell her she was the most gorgeous being in the history of time. He didn’t want to have to rely on challenges and slime and stolen moments. 

But it was Day 4, and as he looked up into the angry face of the girl he was supposed to be falling madly in love with, he knew he had some thinking to do.

……………………………………………..

Noah looked back up at the TV screen. 

“Of course I remember! That was when I realised that the flicker of flame I’d felt on Day 1 was actually a roaring fire. But I came here and spoke to you guys, remember? You told me that James had been getting hot and heavy with the other guys too. That she was playing me and I shouldn’t risk the money I’d been promised for someone like that”

His face was angry, a frown line furrowed above his eyebrow.

“That was all lies. I realise that now”

The producer, held her phone up and looked at it, a look of mock surprise on her face.

“Noah, I’ve just seen the time. I have to go. Look, don’t do anything you’re going to regret right now. Go back out into the villa, be lovely old you, and we’ll call you and Hope back in here later to talk through this properly, ok? Remember the money Noah. And your family. You don’t want them to be dragged through the media for having a son who lied to the nation, do you?”.

The screen flickered to black before he could respond. He slowly got to his feet, feeling angry and shocked.

He opened the door to the hut and blinked out at the sun for a second, dazzled by its brightness. He put back on the mask of a man who is happy and content, blissfully in love, and stepped back into the villa. 

And so it continues.


End file.
